According to him, both the leadership of Kyrgyzstan and the Russian side consider these restrictions to be completely unfounded. Vakunov added that Bishkek has repeatedly offered representatives of the Council of Europe to conduct a joint analysis of the situation with the companies that have been sanctioned, but this has not influenced the actions of Western partners.
The diplomat emphasized that the sanctions pressure on Kyrgyzstan constitutes interference in the internal affairs of the country and could lead to serious negative consequences for its economic development.
It was previously reported that the European Union proposed to expand sanctions against Russia, including two Kyrgyz banks in the sanctions list: "Keremet Bank" and OJSC "Capital Bank of Central Asia." Due to suspicions of circumventing restrictions against Russia, companies from various countries, including Kyrgyzstan, have begun to fall under EU and US sanctions.
- In November 2025, "Capital Bank of Central Asia" and the cross-border payment platform A7 were subjected to Canadian sanctions.
- In October 2025, the European Union added two Kyrgyz banks to the sanctions lists: "Tolubai" and "Eurasian Savings Bank."
- In August 2025, Kyrgyz "Capital Bank" and cryptocurrency exchanges Grinex and Meer appeared on the British sanctions list (previously, they had also been sanctioned by the US).
- In February 2025, UK restrictions affected "Keremet Bank," which had already been included in the US sanctions list.
- Sanctions against several private companies from Kyrgyzstan were first imposed by the US and the UK in June 2024.
Kyrgyzstan has repeatedly raised the issue of the unfounded nature of sanctions against its banks. President Sadyr Japarov criticized the West for these restrictions at the UN podium in 2025, calling them interference in the internal affairs of the country and pressure that hinders the development of its economy, which is just beginning to take shape.
